"He is survived by his loving wife Dee, three children and six grandchildren."

Braben was born in Liverpool in 1930. After finishing school he worked on a market fruit and vegetable stall, and wrote and sent jokes to comedians in his spare time. He later worked as a jokewriter for Liverpudlian comedian Ken Dodd for over a decade.

In the late Sixties he was asked by the BBC to work with Morecambe and Wise, and was credited as being key to altering the duo's act and increasing their popularity, by playing up their friendship and making the characters seem more innocent. It was Braben's idea that the two should share a double bed, for instance.

Morecambe, Wise and Braben became known in the TV industry as the "Golden Triangle", and won the Society of Film Television Artists 1973 award for Outstanding Contribution to Television. Braben won the Best British Light Entertainment Script award from the Writer's Guild of Great Britain in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1973.

During the Sixties and Eighties he also wrote widely for BBC Radio and appeared in several programmes, including Show with Ten Legs, The Worst Show on the Wireless, and The Show with No Name.

In 2001 Braben co-wrote a West End tribute to Morcambe and Wise called The Play What I Wrote, which was directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Several comedians have paid tribute to Braben on Twitter. Miranda Hartwrote:

"Feel so privileged to have met Eddie Braben. One of our greatest comedy writers who brought joy to millions. Thank you Eddie."